Driving Social Innovation with AI-Powered Service Learning

From 29 to 30 May 2025, the University of Minho hosted an in-person training session  funded by the Arqus Innovation Fund (call 2024). The two-day workshop brought together representatives from four universities of the Arqus European University Alliance: Granada, Minho, Padua and Vilnius, for a collaborative learning experience focused on integrating Artificial Intelligence into Service Learning practices.

This project aimed to institutionalise Service Learning within the Arqus Alliance by promoting its integration into university curricula as a driver of social innovation, civic engagement, and quality learning. The in-person training was preceded by a series of online meetings and preparatory activities, and will be followed by a support phase in which faculty from the participating universities will receive guidance to implement SL projects in their own institutional contexts.

UMinho em Campo

The UMinho em Campo initiative invited students to apply what they learn at university to real-world community challenges. Its purpose was to develop both personal and professional skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, and social responsibility, while making a meaningful difference.

Th initiative offered a variety of activities and workshops aimed at developing transversal skills, both on a personal and academic level.

Preparing Generation Z Beyond Technologies (ZTec+)

ZTec+ is a course taught at the University of Minho. It's main goal is to stimulate students to learn about contents normally not approached in their compulsory courses. 

Themes discussed in the classes are related with personal skills such as critical thinking, communication, leadership, teamwork as well as ethics or even more practical themes like CV design or job interviews behavior. Such competencies could be the key factor for differentiation in a technological career. 

This classes use active learning methodologies (e.g. practical exercises, debates, seminars and reflective activities) and teamwork to improve the effectiveness of learning, among other benefits mentioned above.